How To Save Money and Ensure Privacy With Offshore Bank Accounts in Hong Kong

As corporate offshore banking becomes less of a money laundering technique, and more of a legitimate way for businesses to reduce their tax obligations and other costs, the benefits of corporate offshore banking are starting to become well known. Certain countries are known as tax havens because of the low tax rates offshore banking services can obtain for their customers, and there is a wealth of information regarding what offshore banking can do for your company. Increased privacy, protection of your assets from litigation, risk in your own country, and erosion by fees and charges are some of the most prominent benefits of having your Hong Kong business finance consultancy set up an offshore bank account. Financial consultancies in Hong Kong can also get you better interest returns, assist in inheritance tax planning and allow global access to your assets with offshore bank accounts. We look at what you will need to open a corporate offshore banking account, and how to go about it.

Of course, the easiest way to do offshore bank account opening is to have an expert do it all for you. Look for Hong Kong financial services organizations, or Hong Kong business consultancies where the staff are qualified professionals in their fields. As corporate offshore banking is often conducted in an environment where English is not a native language, look for bilingualism in your Hong Kong financial services company. Business gained by word of mouth for Hong Kong business consultancies also gives them a higher recommendation - it ensures that previous customers are satisfied.

However, for those that like to understand the process themselves, here is a guide to corporate offshore bank account opening. Some of the documents you'll need include a statement of bank account purpose - whether the account will be used for the day-to-day payment of expenses and storage of income, or whether it will be a mostly deposit corporate offshore banking account. The intended annual turnover and the origin of the funds in the account should be included with this information. Put this is with your application whether or not your bank has asked for it.

You should obtain your company's certificate of incorporation; either get a copy from your Hong Kong company incorporation service, or look through your own records. You may, alternatively, need a Certificate of Good Standing. These should be signed and authenticated by the proper authority in your home jurisdiction. Your company's charter, including a memorandum and articles of association as well as your by laws should be included with your corporate offshore banking application, as should your director's mandate if applicable.

You should also get a copy of the registered directors of your company, as well as the registry of shareholders. You will obviously need confirmation of identity documents in order to open a corporate offshore banking account. If you can obtain banking references, have your Hong Kong financial services company obtain them for you, these should included also. You will then need to choose a jurisdiction to bank in. It can be time consuming checking all of the relevant tax legislation, fees and charges. Again, having an offshore banking service or Hong Kong financial consultancy do this for you is highly recommended.

However, the next step of choosing a bank and conducting due diligence on it is more a personal business decision than one for your Hong Kong financial consultancy. After all, you will have to deal with the bank day to day, and ensuring you are happy with their customer service team is essential. Ring their support line and see how long it takes to get an answer if you choose the existing customer option (not the sales option!), as well as checking the security of their online banking offering.